Tomato and Pesto Pizza

by Michelle on August 1, 2012

I’ve written about grilled pizza before on this blog, but it’s such a delightful summer meal that I think it’s worthy of another post. We’re talking 10 minutes to a fantastic, filling dinner, which these days, is my culinary M.O. (Charlie is moving around like a champ and has taken a particular interest in the stove…and the dishwasher…) I’ve been buying local tomatoes at the farmers market about as fast as we can eat them and I had made and frozen scape pesto back in June when the scapes were plentiful. What a pairing! If you don’t have scape pesto, you can still make this pizza. Simply use whatever pesto you please. It won’t disappoint.

Remove pizza dough from packaging, place in a medium size bowl and cover with a towel. Allow the dough to rise for 4-5 hours before using. (You can use cold dough, but I find that it’s easier to roll out if you let it come to room temperature and rest for a bit). Roll the dough out as thinly as possible. Transfer to a rimmed baking dish and brush the top with olive oil. Preheat your grill. When it’s hot, carefully place the dough,oil side down, on the grates. Brush the top side with olive oil, close the grill and allow the dough to cook for 4-5 minutes. When it starts to bubble and the bottom is brown, carefully flip the dough over and add the cheese, pesto and tomato. Close the grill and allow the pizza to cook until the cheese is melted and the bottom is browned, another 4-5 minutes. Slide the pizza onto a large cutting board, slice, and serve warm.

This post is part of Food Network’s Summer Fest, a weekly collection of delicious recipes starring the season’s best bounty. For more ideas on how to prepare tomatoes, check out the blogs below!

About Me
I love to cook. I love to eat. And if friends and family are around to enjoy these pleasures with me, it is a very happy day indeed. But while I’ve been eating all my life, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I began to pay attention to where my food came from... More »